1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to an improved sanitary facility for animals. More particularly, the invention relates to a sanitary facility apron particularly adapted to remove debris from an animal's paws when the animal exits the sanitary facility. Specifically, the invention relates to an improved sanitary facility apron which may be used with covered sanitary facilities having a variety of sizes, and which will remove debris from the animal's paws.
2. Background Information
It is customary to provide toilet facilities for indoor animals, and specifically cats, in houses and apartment buildings as a means for housebreaking cats in situations when the cat will either have to or would prefer to depend on indoor facilities. Cats can easily be trained to use indoor sanitary facilities especially when the facility utilizes some form of absorbent material, such as litter or sand. This ease arises from the cat's instinct to conceal its excretions. If given the opportunity, a cat will always attempt to cover their excrement, usually by scratching and clawing at the surrounding material. In an indoor sanitary facility filled with litter, the cat will thus claw and scratch at the litter in the facility to cover the excrement.
Such sanitary facilities are well known and have been the subject of a number of United States letters patents including U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,233,588 and 3,796,188.
While these prior art devices are presumably sufficient to achieve the purpose for which they were intended, one problem inherent in this type of sanitary facility is that while the cat is scratching, debris is thrown out of the facility and onto the surrounding floor area. Such problem has been solved by adding a cover to the top of the facility with a small ingress and egress opening for the animal. A variety of such prior art devices are shown specifically in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,085,550, 3,246,630, 3,822,671, 4,732,111, and 5,092,277.
However, a second problem is also associated with this type of sanitary facility, in that, after the cat has finished scratching, it will exit the sanitary facility and track the material over the surrounding floor area absent provisions for dislodging the litter material from the cat's paws and retaining the removed litter in a closed area. A number of devices have been developed which are presumably adequate to achieve the purpose for which they were intended, but which have presented problems in the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,246,630 provides a screen area over which the cat must walk to dislodge the debris from the cats paws. However, the screen area significantly reduces the litter holding area of the facility. Moreover, the facility itself incorporates the screen inside the cover. Therefore, the screen is awkward to retrieve for cleaning, and cannot be retrofitted to existing facilities. An owner of an existing facility must replace the entire facility to benefit from the screen, which increases expense.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,885,523 also provides a screen over which the animal is forced to walk in order to remove litter from the animal's paws. Like the '630 patent, the screen is carried inside the existing facility which presents the very problems associated with the '630 patent in that an existing facility must be replaced to utilize the device of the '513 patent. Moreover, litter will extend under the screen area where it will be unusable by the animal, and is thus wasted.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,277 also provides a screen over which the animal must walk when exiting the litter pan. However, the screens are offset above the litter area which results in a structure much more complicated, and much larger than an average sanitary facility.
Therefore, the need exists for a sanitary facility apron which will provide a screen in the path of an animal exiting from a usual sanitary facility to remove the debris from the animal's paws; in which the apron is adaptable for use with sanitary facilities of a variety of sizes; and in which the facility may be secured to the apron, and removed therefrom for cleaning.